This refers to the idea that newsrooms are so overworked in the face of
a 24-hour news culture that it is not uncommon to see a regurgitated
press release in the pages of a publication.

But Patience Wheatcroft, editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal
Europe, maintains: 'You will never find a rehashed press release in the
WSJE.'

The paper, bought by Rupert Murdoch two years ago along with its parent
company Dow Jones, has long enjoyed a reputation for quality. As Chris
Kelsey, PR account director of Robson Brown, puts it: 'If it's in the
WSJE, it is going to be accurate, factual, and all the figures will be
correct.'

Nancy Prendergast, MD of Tannissan Mae Communications, which deals with
the WSJE on behalf of aerospace and finance clients, says while in
Europe the WSJE takes a back seat to the Financial Times: 'It is the
most efficient route we know to promoting clients to their US finance
and business targets.'

The downside of this reputation for accuracy is the WSJE can be
'stodgy', says Kelsey.

Jason Nisse, director at Fishburn Hedges and former assistant City
editor at The Times, adds: 'It has suffered from being seen as just the
European edition of the US paper.'

Enter Wheatcroft, who joined the WSJE two months ago, after a break from
journalism following her departure from The Sunday Telegraph in
September 2007. 'I really had not intended to go back into media, but
Robert Thompson, editor-in-chief of the WSJ, and Rupert Murdoch can be
pretty persuasive,' she says.

As a former City editor of The Times, she has the contacts and
credentials to lead such a heavyweight publication, says Nisse: 'If she
succeeds in creating a publication that stands on its own two feet in
Europe, it will be able to challenge the FT.'

Wheatcroft has set about modernising the paper to bring it in line with
the website, which is a combination of freely available and
subscriber-only content. The print publication now has more analysis and
new columnists, a new front-page design and more use of colour.
Wheatcroft says she sees the future of the publication resting in more
in-depth analysis, with the website dealing with breaking news: 'If I
can produce two or three things each reader finds of interest, then they
will buy the paper again tomorrow.'

Murdoch has been at the forefront of the paid-for content debate and
Wheatcroft admits: 'He feels strongly about the degree of "theft", as he
might call it, that his organisations and others are generating that is
not being properly valued at the moment.'

It has been widely cited that Murdoch may soon attempt a 100 per cent
paid-for model. Wheatcroft says: 'I do not think we will have to wait
too long to see that happening.'

It is one of the few truly global publications out there and has an
integrated staff of more than 400 reporters across Europe. It's quite
something to have that sort of resource.

- Describe your relationship with PROs

One of the most important things they can do is ensure we have access.
We want to talk and listen to the people making decisions and making
things happen. PROs can be wonderful enablers but its essential we talk
to the people who are actually making the decisions.

- How do the paper and the website fit together?

We have to work with the internet, not against it. Our readers are
getting their news throughout the day through their desktops,
BlackBerrys and mobile readers. The paper has to give people fewer
stories, with added depth, comment, analysis, graphics and side bars. We
can feel confident about covering fewer stories in greater depth because
at the back of the book we have a digest of what's been happening so
people can be up to speed in ten minutes.